Attempts to develop a methodology for assessing the relationship between students' written text and their scientific thinking by investigating how one group of middle school students generated meanings for scientific data and expressed them in writing. Finds that many student reports contained a minimal number of written inferences, expressing…

Reports on a study undertaken to develop research rubrics for a performance assessment of science processes and evaluate seventh-grade science students' ability to perform them. Focuses on the processes of recording data, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and providing evidence. Reports that only 61% of the students performed the activity and…

Reports research concerning the definition of variables by pupils ages 12 to 14 during investigative work. Findings suggest that an increase in the complexity of an investigation lowers the ability to identify relevant variables and substantive concepts intrude on the ability to define the appropriate dependent variable and to control variables.…

Using Piagetian tasks designed to assess specific mental structures, researchers investigate the relationship between logical thinking structures and the ability of students to construct and interpret line graphs. Results revealed that a significant correlation exists between the aforementioned variables. Suggests and cautions that only at certain…

The interpretation of data and construction and interpretation of graphs are central practices in science, which, according to recent reform documents, science and mathematics teachers are expected to foster in their classrooms. However, are (preservice) science teachers prepared to teach inquiry with the purpose of transforming and analyzing…